Verizon Droid Hits the Airwaves — Yes iCan
Verizon has been long in the tooth for a super smartphone since the launch of the BlackBerry Storm. That is about to change, according to their new ad campaign for the Motorola Droid. The Droid looks to be the Sholes Motorola phone that’s been bandied about for some time. It looks like it is heading for a launch in just a few weeks and Verizon is aiming the Droid squarely at the iPhone in the ad campaign.
The Droid is a super thin Android phone with a large screen and a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The Boy Genius Report has already gotten one in their hands and proclaim it “thinnest QWERTY-slider we’ve ever seen.” The Droid is using the same TI OMAP3430 processor as the Palm Pre and BGR says it’s the “fastest Android device we’ve ever used.”
The Verizon Droid is already running Android 2.0, so that version is poised for takeoff soon. The initial thoughts about 2.0 indicate it is maturing nicely, and incorporating social network integration rivaling that of the Palm Pre’s Synergy. This is starting to look like the Android phone to beat, and it doesn’t hurt it is sitting on the Verizon 3G network.
And hey, you gotta love the iDoesn’t ad campaign Verizon is launching with this! It’s hilarious, and they even have a map for that!
It will be interesting to see how this performs compared to the HTC Dragon which is rumoured to include a Snapdragon processor. It will also be interesting to see whether HTC can create something as ugly as this but I guess Motorola really have that market cornered
Looks difficult to hold / bulky – wish they would have had the palm pre first!
Looks like a great phone, keyboard, verizon network, better processor. But I’m guessing your bill per month will be closer to the iphone levels ($100).
I’m paying 60 bucks/month, (Sprint discount) for the Hero that has decent performance. If you got the cash to spend though, why not.
This is big for two reasons, one its the first phone with Android 2.0, which I wont see on my Hero for at least a few months. Two, Verizon has the network quality, great phone reception and reliable data. Apple made the mistake of not moving to more carriers before this hit. If a CDMA iPhone hit last year, everyone and their grandma would have had one.
Happy I got the Hero, cheaper monthly plans, way better data connection and way better voice quality on Sprint than At&T. This is my “intro” to Android. In a year the “Droid” and the “Hero 2″ will be on Sprint along with some other great phones. Thats when I’ll take the leap to my second generation android phone.
I’m hoping that by next year, batter capacity will go up and these smartphones will have better battery life. Maybe a new chip that has speed but sucks less battery. I want to see 2 full days without running to the charger.
The ad is pretty funny, and it looks like in terms of network the Droid might be significant competition for the iPhone: http://www.newsy.com/videos/big_players_join_smartphone_war
I am going to buy two Droids today! One for me and one for my wife. I can not stand ATT. Bye bye iPhone the Droid is your death at least with me.